It's a biggun'

[jason]

I live on the approach end of rwy 36 in Lincoln, NE. We often have militery jets flying T/G around here as

• we've got a long runway
• we're on the way to everywhere
• we've got an ANG base on the field with KC-135 takers
• Offutt (where Bush II came while 9/11 was happening) is in not far away

Anyway, I'm working from home today, listening to ATC on the scanner when I hear him mention to an E-4B that he was about to be joined in the pattern by a B-52. I run out to my back deck just in time to see the montser fly by about 3/4 of a mile east of my house.

All I can say is WOW!

He's been in the pattern for the last 30 minutes. You can tell it's him because the engines have a very distinctive whine. The last time I heard him coming I ran out and grabbed this picture.

I could watch this all day.



P.S. I just heard him call in and say "Tower, 36 Heavy is with you on the ILS runway 36"

 

[Brian Austin]

I just passed March ARB on the way to our Escondido office. There was a C-5 in the pattern. It looks like it's moving so slow that it's going to fall out of the sky!

 

[wbarnhill]

Quite nice indeed

I still love when the C-130s are up and about at GYH.

 

[poadeleted3]

Keep watching, maybe you'll get to see something fall off. Used to happen now and then when I'd watch them flying around Guam.

 

[Darrell111]

I just passed March ARB on the way to our Escondido office. There was a C-5 in the pattern. It looks like it's moving so slow that it's going to fall out of the sky!

Id pay to see one of those C-5 .. I remember when i was a kid a got to walk through one at Pope AFB. Ever since then it has been one of my fav planes.

 

[Paul Allen]

I was stationed on Guam in 1976 and we had 13 B-52's. Several would be flying on most days and I still get excited when I see one in the air. We had a 13 day SAC exercise and we launched all 13, one after the other. It was a real sight to see all 13 lined up on the taxiway to depart. We would get C-5's in there all the time and they did look like they would fall out of the sky when they would come in to land. We had a SR-71 come in for a few days and he departed on a Sunday morning when I was on duty. He did an air show for the 2 star we had there. On his final pass he was Mach 2 + and over the flight line he turned toward the sky and disappeared within seconds. Very impressive. I've never seen an airplane go that fast since. He was doing things you could not get away with over the USA.

 

[ScottM]

Id pay to see one of those C-5 .. I remember when i was a kid a got to walk through one at Pope AFB. Ever since then it has been one of my fav planes.

I got to fly in one once. It was pretty strange. I could feel us all set up for the landing, start the flare and then.....NOTHING. We just seemed to hang in the flare for ever.

About 5 minutes of this got me really wondering what the heck was going on. Then the loadmaster got up and poped open the door. Remember I was thinking we were still in flight but when the door opened it was obvious we were on teh ground, had taxied, and parked. Then a lot of hydralic pumps started up and we leveled off. Wierd!!

Cool plane. Bigger than you can really imagine!

 

[Lawreston]

When I was a kid playing in the fields of the farm(below) we'd watch Northeast Airlines(became Eastern Airlines) fly over, to or from across-the-river Knox County Regional RKD with their plane of the era -- DC-3. Or, there would be the bombers out of the then-active Dow AF Base which wasn't far away(in plane time), lumbering along. Occasionally, we'd get to see a refueling mission -- pretty amazing to see that "straw" seemingly connecting the two planes. The DC-3 had its own unique rumble; but the B-52(?) were something to behold.

HR

 

[poadeleted3]

I was stationed on Guam in 1976 and we had 13 B-52's. Several would be flying on most days and I still get excited when I see one in the air. We had a 13 day SAC exercise and we launched all 13, one after the other. It was a real sight to see all 13 lined up on the taxiway to depart. We would get C-5's in there all the time and they did look like they would fall out of the sky when they would come in to land. We had a SR-71 come in for a few days and he departed on a Sunday morning when I was on duty. He did an air show for the 2 star we had there. On his final pass he was Mach 2 + and over the flight line he turned toward the sky and disappeared within seconds. Very impressive. I've never seen an airplane go that fast since. He was doing things you could not get away with over the USA.

One of the most impressive things I've ever seen was in Guam during a worldwide exercise... Global Shield, maybe? Anyway, in addition to the BUFFs we had stationed there, they had sent a whole ton of B52s and KC135s to the island, filled up almost every parking spot they had. On the final day, all these planes lined up and were doing minimum interval takeoffs, every 45 seconds (IIRC) one would start rolling, and the plane ahead would just be off the ground. Took them a solid hour to get all the planes in the air. I don't think I'll ever forget the sights, sounds, and smells of all those planes. Air was full of smoke, you couldn't hear a thing, and it just kept going and going and going.

 

[Frank Browne]

I just passed March ARB on the way to our Escondido office. There was a C-5 in the pattern. It looks like it's moving so slow that it's going to fall out of the sky!

You're right about that! I watched one some years ago fly into NAS Jacksonville for an airshow and that thing was so huge it just seemed like it was crawling along.

 

[Darrell111]

I got to fly in one once. It was pretty strange. I could feel us all set up for the landing, start the flare and then.....NOTHING. We just seemed to hang in the flare for ever.

About 5 minutes of this got me really wondering what the heck was going on. Then the loadmaster got up and poped open the door. Remember I was thinking we were still in flight but when the door opened it was obvious we were on teh ground, had taxied, and parked. Then a lot of hydralic pumps started up and we leveled off. Wierd!!

Cool plane. Bigger than you can really imagine!

Now thats what i call a smooth landing!!!

I hear they fly pretty well on 3 engines but not 2

 

[Darrell111]

What is that AFB out in west texas with the B1 bombers? I remember a couple of years ago driving out to Arizona they were landing one right after another.. i must have seen about 10 of them. I was in the right place at the right time i guess.

 

[bluesky74656]

I took my PPL checkride at YNG, where a bunch of C-130s are based. It was a bit intimidating to be number 3 for landing behind two C-130s. Perfect time for a question on wake turbulence.

 

[poadeleted3]

What is that AFB out in west texas with the B1 bombers? I remember a couple of years ago driving out to Arizona they were landing one right after another.. i must have seen about 10 of them. I was in the right place at the right time i guess.

Dyess, maybe?

 

[Darrell111]

Dyess, maybe?

Yea thats the one!

 

[Paul Allen]

I took my PPL checkride at YNG, where a bunch of C-130s are based. It was a bit intimidating to be number 3 for landing behind two C-130s. Perfect time for a question on wake turbulence.

When I did my inst ride at YNG there was a half dozen KC-135's practicing landings. As part of the ride I had to do a hold over the VOR and they had a 135 above me and a 135 below me. The DE kept watching my alt and at one point he told me to look down and the 135 was so close it looked like I could touch it. The DE said "Now you know why I was watching your altitude". What a sight!